


Nice to Meet...You?

by CrimsonBlueMoon (Navybluewings)



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Awesome Clint Barton, Fluff, Identity Porn, M/M, Marvel Trumps Hate 2018, Meet-Cute, Steve Rogers is a Menace, Tony Stark Has A Heart, what are tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 18:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19215013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navybluewings/pseuds/CrimsonBlueMoon
Summary: Tony wasn't planning to let Captain America know who he was when he 'went undercover' at Avengers Academy. Odin knows who he'd tell. But then he spends the day with Steve Rogers, the man under the cowl. And suddenly, telling Steve his real name is themostimportant thing on his list.Too bad Clint Barton has other plans.





	Nice to Meet...You?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal/gifts).



> Okay! It's been like, months since I've posted something here, so I hope I don't disappoint. This was the second entry for the Marvel Trumps Hate auction, and it was a tough but fun story to write. Please, enjoy!

Tony doesn’t want to become a student at Avengers Academy.

Really, he doesn’t. 

But he also likes knowing things. Especially things that are run by super-secret assassins like Nick Fury. Sure, he gets the monthly report regarding weapons that need to be made for the students, whether it’s Natasha’s Widow Bites or a new armor for Rhodey. And he spends more days than not in the tower on the campus, chatting with Bruce or one of the other geniuses that try to take his spot for the smartest in the world (Riri and Shuri liked to boast they were more intelligent, though they still had more to learn before reaching his level). He did find the place interesting, always filled with new students and events that were tempting to join. Jan, the self-proclaimed welcome committee of the school, had buddied up to Tony over the past six months, and had begun trying to warm Tony to the idea of being a student. But Tony had refused, never one to follow other’s plans. Still, his curiosity was piqued when Jan let it drop that Captain America was their newest classmate. 

And really, he should at least  **look** at the school before he denied Fury’s application again.

Why a hood and a pair of sunglasses seemed to fool so many people, he didn’t know. He thought seeing someone lumbering around the campus would set  **some** people’s radars off, being a school of superheroes and all. But Avengers Academy wasn’t quite known for being normal, so really this probably didn’t even brush the first level of their weirdness scale. In this case, it was a positive for Tony, who was using the ‘disguise’ to fully explore the grounds. He spent time in the tower, sure, and created most of designs for the facilities or equipment used by Nick Fury’s pupils. Even as a teenager, he’d proven with his Iron Man suits that he was far beyond his years in abilities. But planning them and actually investigating them were two completely different things, and despite them being his second reason for the impromptu trip, he still took the time to admire his handiwork. 

And being distracted by his mind’s schematics to improve Club A’s structure, Tony walked into the first reason for exploring the campus. 

“I’m sorry.” The apology came with a large hand on Tony’s back when he stumbled backward, keeping him from dropping to the ground after the collision. After steadying himself, Tony glanced up, catching the genuine look of concern brightening the blue eyes of the other man. Even without the cowl and patriotic shield, he knew it was Captain America. The blond hair was styled perfectly, as if he’d walked out of a black and white sitcom. A glance at the shirt under the jean jacket (which really, didn’t those fall out of style in the 2000s?) proudly displayed a white star that was far too reminiscent to miss. Tony studied his face, as if he hadn’t already skimmed through all of Jan’s selfies with the captain in order to try and find a single flaw in his super-serum body. But the only result he’d gotten from his ‘research’ was the same conclusion he was getting in person; Steve Rogers was  **really** attractive. 

“You’re sorry that I bumped into you?” He raised his eyebrow over his sunglasses before tilting them down, trying to show his amusement when watching Steve fumble over his words. 

“It was just- sorry, I should have also been better attention. Kind of stopped in the middle of the walkway to draw the Club.” As if sure Tony wouldn’t believe him, Steve raised the little notebook, showing a half-drawn sketch of the aforementioned building. 

“So Cap can crush Nazis and give Picasso a run for his money.” Pink was a good color on Steve’s paler complexion, the blush rising high on his cheeks even as he rubbed the back of his neck and gave a humble laugh. 

“I don’t think I’d claim that much talent. Just do it as a hobby.” Then, as if remembering the absence of a proper introduction, Steve straightened himself out and pulled his hand back to hold it out between them. “I don’t think we’re properly met. I’m Steve Rogers.” 

“Yeah, you’re not exactly known for a secret identity.” Still, Tony humored him with a quick handshake, using the gesture to think out his reply.

Though his goal had been to catch a glimpse of Captain America, actually interacting with him had never been a part of the plan. He’d remembered stories about him being told by his father, the tales of his bravery at such a young age. And while he knew that some of those memories had to be dramatized to make the stories better for bedtime, Tony still had looked up to Captain America. He knew that if his father was still alive, Howard would have been the first one to come to the school and greet Steve when he came out of the timefog. But his parents were gone now, and despite never meeting Steve, Tony felt a strange obligation to check in on the once lost super soldier. 

That was why he didn’t want to tell Steve who he was. For one, he knew that Steve would have far too many questions regarding Howard. And even if he didn’t mean to, Tony knew how easy it would be for the other to compare the two Starks. It was just a natural course of action; almost anyone who knew his last name tended to make the connection within seconds. Plus, if Steve was as ‘by the books’ as Howard used to say (though from some of the stories regarding Captain America’s wild missions, it felt contradictory), then Tony’s cover would be blown and reported to Nick Fury in minutes. Even if he didn’t mean to, Steve could spill to Nat, who would be all too happy to tell her boss about Tony’s stealth mission. 

“I’m Edward Carbonell.” His middle name wasn’t a lie, as it was technically a part of the name written on his birth certificate. And if his mother had kept her maiden name, he could have taken Carbonell as his last name. Most people didn’t know either tidbit, since simply saying his first name was normally enough to get people’s attention. So it was a safe bet, and doubted Steve would be any wiser for his white lie. “And the pleasure’s all mine.” 

“Is it your first day? Jan normally announces when we get new members in the school.” 

“I’m not enrolled; just visiting to see if I’m interested.” The reply made Steve nod, and it was only then that Tony realized they hadn’t stopped shaking hands. Finally, he broke the connection, shoving his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “It’s a nice place, but I’m not sold yet.” 

“Really? Did Director Fury assign you a tour guide to help you see the place?” 

“Not exactly.” Considering he didn’t want Nick to know he was even on the campus, getting Pepper or Jan excused from classes to show him around was not happening. 

“Oh, well…” The boyish charm that seemed natural to Steve shone through with his sheepish smile, and Tony scolded his heart for stupidly skipping at the look. “I don’t have any classes for the rest of the day, and I’ve got no plans. If you’re looking for someone to help convince you to come here, that is.” 

“Who am I to turn down an offer from Captain America?” Tony asked, grinning at the offer. Though hanging out with Steve wasn’t a hardship on the eyes, Tony’s reason for easily accepting the offer was also strategic. Because who was going to question Tony when he was being shown around by the leader of the Avengers? 

And Steve had been a good choice. Not only because he made a perfect cover, but because he was actually… fun. Not in the way that Tony was known to seek out adventure, because that normally dealt with illegal explosions or undercover labs. But Steve didn’t need adrenaline to want to hang out with Tony; he was involved in each conversation the two held while passing through the campus, asking questions or providing information that someone who didn’t help design the school would be surprised know. He was able to explain the use of the Arena of War and Odin’s Hall of Knowledge, showing that Steve had taken his time to fully learn all of the capabilities of the academy. He didn’t have as much confidence when speaking about the more scientific places, which made sense; Tony hadn’t bumped into Steve once in the week he’d been on campus. But Steve really seemed to enjoy the beach, showing his fascination with how ‘someone’ had managed to capture the feel of the ocean without actually being there.  

“I read an article that the wave machine can filter the water even during use. It keeps the water clean. It also has a cooling temperature any time of year. Plus, it changes the consistency of the water depending on the student in it,” Tony supplied, too tempted to provide information when he saw an opportunity. 

“Sounds like you have a knack for engineering.” Steve’s response sounded amused, not offended by Tony’s dump of information, and it made Tony relax in a way he hadn’t for months. People tended to roll their eyes or scowl when Tony took over the conversation, used to his ego taking a seat at the table. But here, as Edward, Tony had let some of that expected personality take a back seat, enjoying the back-and-forth conversation with Steve. 

“I’ve had a thing for electronics and engineering since I was a kid; it was their first inkling that I was a genius.” 

“Careful, you might give Tony Stark a run for his money.” The sudden introduction of his actual name had Tony blinking, unsure how he felt when hearing it.

“You’ve heard of Iron Man?”  

“Of course. Hasn’t everyone?” Which was true, if Tony thought about it. “He’s done a lot around here, from what Miss Potts and Jan report, he’s part of the reason we have the resources we have. He helps make the weapons, creates gym equipment that even I struggle to get through, and donates a good amount of money to keep things going. And I’m told he’s about my age, uh, before the ice at least. I’ve never got to meet the guy, but I hope to, soon.” 

“You do know that people claim he’s got a narcissistic, selfish, competitive streak of an ego, right?” Tony tossed in, but Steve didn’t take the bait. Instead, he shrugged, watching the waves quietly lap against the edge of the wave pool. 

“Don’t know about any of that. I’m the kind of guy who likes to make judgments for myself.” 

“Except when they’re showering the guy with compliments?” 

“Something like that.” Steve gave a smile that made Tony’s nose scrunch up, disliking the inside joke that he didn’t pick up on. Whatever the other was trying to imply, Tony couldn’t fully piece it together. But he didn’t have much time to try and pry the puzzle apart when seeing Jan and Natasha heading toward the beach. 

“There’s one last place to check out, right?” Tony asked, not waiting for Steve to reply before he continued. “Great, wanna walk me to Stark’s tower?” 

“Oh, uh, sure.” Always the gentleman, Steve didn’t question Tony’s sudden urge to leave, turning away from the two women in order to walk back from where they came. He adjusted the hood while he moved, making sure to cover the side of his face on the track back to the tower. Once seeing the familiar logo, Tony perked up, quick to move to the entrance before turning to Steve with a grin.

“Well, Cap, this is my stop.” He rocked on his feet when his hands found the pockets of his sweatshirt again, wondering if the good feeling would linger after Steve left. “So if you ever have to quit the whole flinging a frisbee and riding bald eagles, you’d be a good tour guide.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Steve answered, looking humbled by the eccentric compliment. “And you weren’t terrible company, either.” 

“Is that so? Most tell me I get a little overzealous about… everything.” 

“Not to me. I liked listening to you.” Surprised by the comment, Tony blinked slowly, catching the way Steve’s ears pinkened at the edges before he spoke again. “So, was my tour good enough to get you to enroll here?” 

“Would you like that?” Tony quipped back, trying to ignore his own sliver of embarrassment to wait for the answer. Tony Stark was a flirt by nature, but Edward? He’d kept his hands to himself throughout the whole day, and this was the first real attempt to catch Steve’s attention. Pepper would be proud, Rhodey disbelieving, and Jan would question why he held back. But he didn’t regret it when seeing the warm smile Steve tossed out when taking a bold step closer.      

“I would.” Honesty never looked as good as it did when coming from Steve, whose blue eyes were too focused on Tony to look away. The energy that sparked up was heavy, as if waiting for something else to transpire between them. Despite being reported as too self-centered to think of others, he knew he couldn’t chase the string wiggled in front of him. Tony would, probably, but Edward had no guidelines. And it felt wrong to  **both** identities to pursue anything without clearing up who he really was. 

“Then if I come around, I’ll be sure to find you.” Tony moved back slowly, but didn’t let his eyes waver from Steve’s. He would never admit the noise of surprise that popped out when his back smacked into the edge of the sliding doors, knowing Steve was trying to hold back his laugh with an endearing shake of his head. 

“See you soon, Edward.” Steve spoke with a certainty that would normally make Tony want to rebel just on principle. But the smooth confidence in the tone twisted the knots in Tony’s stomach tighter, butterflies springing up without permission. 

“Yeah,” Tony answered weakly, knowing he looked stupid when he waved before making his less than amazing escape into the building. And though Tony couldn’t remember the last time he blushed, he was sure he was close. Captain America was way more charming than Tony had expected.

And he was 100% sure that he wasn’t going to see him again. 

~**~

It took three days for Natasha to provide Jan with enough information to confront Tony about his ‘secret rendezvous’ with Captain America. He was surprised that it wasn’t Nick who came to him first, though he wondered if Nat had even told him. She’d been getting more comfortable with her friendship with Janet, who managed to get most of the school on her side with her sweet smile and persistent personality. Both of those methods were used on Tony to try and sway him into finally enrolling in the Academy. To his credit, Tony lasted two full weeks before Jan finally cracked his armor. Some of that had been from her hard work and dedication, he’d give her that. But Tony knew Steve’s eyes still flickered through his mind while he fixed his suit or exchanged emails with Pepper. And the actual interest, the want to get to know Steve more than just his iconic shield, was enough to make Tony sign the application Nick had sent to him months ago. 

Now, a full month later, Tony was stepping into Avenger’s Academy for the first time as a student.

“I can’t have my suit?” Scowling at the new information, Tony slouched back in the seat. “Isn’t this a school for superheroes?” 

“Relax, Stark, it’s just for the first week.” Director Fury’s answer didn’t alleviate his irritation, though it was obvious Nick didn’t care. “We want you to get acclimated to the school before you try and jump into a firefight. Rules are rules, even for you.” 

“I’d like to point out that I literally flew into the school yesterday in my suit. We had a conversation while I was hovering outside of your office.” But his protest didn’t change Nick’s stoic stare, and Tony groaned before pushing out of his chair. “Fine. But I’m not getting locked out of my lab.” 

“So long as I don’t have to worry about you blowing up my school.”

“I make no promises.” Despite going for an eye roll, Fury simply laughed, his smirk showing age far older than Tony could accurately estimate. 

“You’re gonna make this school a lot more interesting. Now, I have it on good faith that you don’t need a tour of the school; seems you’ve already taken your time to get to know the place.” 

“Knew she’d tell you,” Tony muttered, but raised his voice before Fury could reply. “Janet’s got the rest of it covered, boss man. Gonna show me the best places to nap and put my cheese fridge. Catch you later.” 

If Director Fury gave a reply, Tony didn’t hear it, scurrying out of the office to meet up with Jan. As promised, she was sitting on the bench outside of the administrative building, her phone lifted high enough to take a picture of herself. Tony didn’t hesitate to slide in behind her, and Jan’s smile brightened when she snapped the photo. A few more pictures were taken before she turned around, yanking him into a hug that he was sure would break a rib. But as quick as she attacked, Janet was pulling back, hands grabbing his to pull him with her energetic pace. 

“Tony, it’s about time! I can’t believe you took so long to finally come here. What other school lets you hang out with me and fight Enchantress?” 

“You’re still mad at Amora?” The glare he got was enough of an answer, Tony snickering and dropping an arm around Janet’s shoulders. “What else do I need to know about this place? Any teachers gonna help me become a mad scientist?” 

“Professor Pym’s your best bet with that, but even you might think he’s too crazy.” 

“Not possible, but I live for a challenge.” Janet laughed and pinched Tony’s side at his casual dismissal, the two sauntering through the quad of the school. It was still early morning, but the warmth of the sun kept both of them warm during the walk. The thought of going to classes that he probably could teach was tormenting, sure, but he knew hanging out with teens his age was going to be a fresh change of pace. 

“Is that why you were playing secret agent with Steve?” Janet teased. 

“That was a happy accident that I blame on the school’s poor security. Seriously, we need to get better guards or a robot army to make sure hooligans aren’t running amok on campus.”

“Or everyone saw through your terrible disguise and couldn’t be bothered to question you about it.”

“One: rude. And two, Captain America had no clue who I was. I fooled the man with a plan. Therefore, best disguise ever.” Sure, Steve had made it clear that he’d never actually seen a picture of Tony before (which, shame on Nick for not putting that in his briefing notes, because Tony was a national treasure), but Jan didn’t need to know that. Even without the counterpoint, she arched her perfectly plucked eyebrow before turning her attention to the left of Tony. 

“Speaking of Steve…” She trailed off, but Tony didn’t need a bigger carrot to chase. 

With more eagerness than he’d ever admit to, he turned around to catch his first glimpse of Steve since infiltrating the school weeks ago. He was with Clint and Bucky, engaged in a conversation too far away for Tony to pick up. It wasn’t surprising that he wore the same outdated jacket and held his books in a way that screamed he actually  **read** them. But even with these characteristics that would look so tacky on someone else, Tony found himself enjoying the wholesome Steve just as much as he had the first time they’d met. He was horrified by his teenage-girl reaction, though knew not to voice the thought out loud. Wasp was all about female empowerment, which Tony respected and encouraged, but he also knew that Janet’s right hook was not something he wanted to feel on his first day of school.  

“Cap!” So instead, he focused his attention on calling Steve’s name across the quad, knowing the super soldier hearing would pick up his voice even from their distance. Sure enough, he was greeted with a surprised set of blue eyes jerked his way, the smile of recognition wide on his face. It was clear that even with his duties, social popularity, and academic responsibility, Tony had made a strong enough impression to stay relevant in Steve’s mind. Pleased with the work he’d done, Tony smirked, brushing off his jacket and ruffling his own hair. He’d always been told that he made mad scientist look good, and Steve-

“Edward, you made it!” Tony tripped over his feet at the call of his middle name, landing with far less grace than he’d planned. The grass tasted terrible when smushing into his mouth, and he coughed to quickly spit the foliage out before pushing himself back up. If he’d been able to keep his suit or even his thruster boots on campus, the face plant wouldn’t have happened. He would have been able to catch himself far faster with his unconscious deployment of the armor over his own body’s reaction speeds. Hell, it would have been a cool way to impress Steve even more with his engineering. But now, he was forced to simply glare at Clint, who had keeled over in a fit of tears. Bucky’s arched eyebrow of judgment meant he wasn’t going to let Tony live it down next time he helped update his arm. Steve was the only one who looked concerned, but before he could think of coming to Tony’s aid, the bell rang through the morning air. 

“Tony, come on. We’ve got to get to class.” Janet’s hand pulling on his arm didn’t cover the slight whine of disapproval of retreating, knowing that he needed to clear the air. But despite her small size, Jan wasn’t weak, and Tony was being dragged the opposite way of the trio. “And while we run there, you wanna tell me why he called you Edward?” 

“Okay, so remember when I said that Steve didn’t know who I was because of my amazing stealth outfit?”

“Tony, it was a stupid disguise.” Jan didn’t even try to hide the roll of her eyes when she tossed out the rude remark, but Tony knew how serious his friend took her fashion. 

“Well that brilliant show of spy-level infiltration,” he continued, ignoring her rude scoff. “Came with a secret identity.”

“Meaning?”

“Steve thinks my name is Edward Carbonell.” 

“What?!” Despite being late to class, Janet slammed on the brakes, jerking both of them into a harsh stop to stare up at Tony in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”  

“I was worried he’d faint when meeting a legend?” His excuse was flimsy, especially when thinking about the topic of conversation. “I mean, most people get a little starry-eyed when first meeting me-”

“Tony.” Jan sighed and shook her head, and Tony hated that he could kind of see why she looked so exacerbated. 

“Okay, so maybe it had more to do with me not wanting him to know who I was yet.” 

“Why? Tony, you’re amazing. And I know you know that, because you tell me at least once a week.” Her teasing compliment made him smile, his shoulders slow to relax from when he’d tensed them before leaning against Janet’s side and groaning. 

“Because he knew my dad,” Tony answered, knowing his misery was edging his voice. “And I guess I just didn’t- I wanted him to like me because I’m Tony, not because I’m a Stark. I didn’t really get a choice in how the rest of the world met me, because everyone knew my face before I turned one. But Steve hasn’t been around for long, and he’s pretty useless with electronics, from what I’ve gathered. If he found out I was Howard’s kid, he’d just want to hang out with me because of that. I didn’t want that; if he liked me, I wanted it to be because of who I am. And he did- he  **does** , Jan. He actually thinks I’m not annoying or overconfident and maybe even a little bit cute-”

“You are such a mess when you’ve got a crush on someone.” Janet’s sly comment made Tony jerk away from her, eyes wide and denial quick to jump to the tip of his tongue. 

“I don’t have a crush on Cap! What? Why would I? He’s all apple pie and the traditional American dream; I’m a brilliant futurist. How could I ever fall for that science experiment gone insanely right? Nope, I don’t. No way. Try again.”

“You know, for a genius, you’re a terrible liar.” With a giggle and a pat on his shoulder, Jan grabbed his hand again, pulling him up the stairs of the science building. “Come on; the sooner we get out of class, the sooner you can clear the air with your dreamboat.”  

“Why are you my best friend?” Tony muttered, but let himself smile when Janet sent a grin over her shoulder. Despite her ridiculous nickname, Jan did have a point. He needed to get to Steve before the end of the day and clear up the mess he hadn’t meant to create when first stumbling into Steve a month ago. It would be a little embarrassing, sure, but Steve seemed to really enjoy his company. And Tony had gotten himself into much worse situations before. Explaining the whole mix-up to Steve wouldn’t even make it to his top five list of stupid decisions he made in the past year, and this one had an easy fix. 

So Tony shoved the minor problem to the back of his mind, letting Pym’s lecture about atomic calibration take over. 

~**~

To his dismay, he didn’t share a class with Steve the entire day. It didn’t make locating him easy, and Tony realized that without his armor, the campus was huge. But Janet, the fairy godmother he didn’t deserve, had helped out with her tidbit of Steve’s affinity for hanging out at Club A. Tony barely got out his shout of thanks before he was jumping down the stairs and jogging through the campus, thankful that his selective memory picked up the campus layout so easily. He let his eyes appreciate the Stark tower before he popped into the club. The checkerboard tiling and vinyl stools were retro, but maybe that was why Steve enjoyed it so much. 

And speaking of the Captain…

“There you are.” Tony knew he’d surprised Steve enough to miss his shot on the pool table, and he bit back a snicker when seeing the cue ball shoot across the club. The yelps of Tigra and Santana proved they didn’t approve the unexpected attack smashing into their drinks. Tony wasn’t sure how he managed to get the scowls sent his way when they slammed the cue ball onto the felt of the table and left the club. “How’d I get blamed for that?” 

“Because they know I wouldn’t miss, normally.” Steve’s confidence was surprising, but Tony couldn’t say he minded it if it caused the bright grin to spread over Steve’s lips. 

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t challenge you at pool? Cause, I’m not gonna lie, makes the desire to do it even more tempting.” To prove his point, Tony moved around the table, snagging the free cue stick to twirl it around his fingers.  

“Got a bit of a competitive streak?” Steve arched his eyebrow before grabbing the pool rack to set up the balls, 

“More like a winning streak,” he sassed back, enjoying the teasing energy between them. “I get that your muscles had muscles, but geometry is kinda my thing.” 

“I thought engineering was your thing?” 

“So you  **did** listen to my rambling.” 

“I told you that I liked listening to you.” The hint back to the chemistry they’d experienced in their first meeting made Tony’s stomach flutter. His hand tightened on the poolstick, watching Steve finish setting the rack before turning to face Tony again. “And I’m happy you decided to join our Academy, Edward.” 

“Oh. Right.” The reason he originally came to the club popped into his brain, and Tony winced when he picked at the tape that had begun to unpeel from his stick. Really, where did all of his money go? “About that. Uh, Steve, I have to come clean about something regarding my name. Or I guess me in general.” 

“Would you like me to call you something different?” Always the gentleman, Steve didn’t look annoyed by the change of conversation, leaning his wrists on the top of his stick and dropping his chin onto them. 

“My real name would probably be better.”

“Real name? But you introduced yourself as Edward Carbonell. Eidetic memory doesn’t let me forget stuff like that.”

“Yeah, well you’re gonna start getting funny looks from people if you keep calling me Edward, cause I may not have been completely honest about who I am.” When he saw the warm smile drop from Steve’s lips, Tony sucked in a slow breath, preparing for the disappointed or furious reaction before his words had even begun. “Edward’s my middle name, and Carbonell was my mother’s maiden title. My actual name is Anthony Edward Stark.” 

“You mean...Tony Stark?” Hearing Steve call his name so casually shouldn’t have mattered to Tony, but the inner diva inside him preened at the attention. Still, he wasn’t stupid enough to brag about it now. So instead, he yanked his lower lip between his teeth while he nodded. The silence felt heavy between them, but it didn’t last nearly as long as he’d expected. Confusion took its place when Steve didn’t glare or scowl, but grinned, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck in the same way he’d done after Tony complimented him. “That’s… I know I’d talked the guy up the first time we met, but I don’t want you to think you’re any less admirable as Edward. I don’t want you to pretend you’re Tony to try and impress me.”   

“What.” Any sense of guilt or obligation to feel bad flew out the window at Steve’s comment, Tony sure his jaw was going to hit the floor when realizing what was being implied. Steve thought Tony was impersonating himself to get his attention? He’d done the exact opposite!

“I like you as Edward, so don’t worry-”

“No, really, I’m Tony Stark. You can ask anyone around here, they’ll tell you who I am. And look-” Tony yanked his jacket to the side in order to expose the arc reactor, tapping at the glass covered by his shirt. “See? Got the weak heart and everything.” 

“You really are really good with engineering; that things looks really authentic.” Steve’s eyes did have an edge of appreciation when looking down at Tony’s chest, but the edge of his voice proved that he didn’t believe Tony was telling the truth. Stunned, Tony glanced around him, trying to get his mind to find an easy solution to his current situation.

“Clint!” He’d never thought he’d be so relieved to see the purple-clad sharpshooter saunter into the club. But he didn’t hesitate to run over and snatch his arm, dragging him back to stand between him and Steve. “Okay, I need you to focus your bird brain for a minute-”

“Nice to see you, too,” Clint muttered, but Tony waved off the grumble to continue.

“And tell Cap here who I am.” 

“Okay?” The puzzled look on Clint’s face proved how out of hand the white lie had gotten. Steve glanced between the two in confusion before settling his gaze on Clint, and Tony let himself relax when seeing Clint shrug. “I mean, doesn’t everyone know Edward Carbonell?” 

“That’s what I- wait,  **what** ?” Tony’s head exploded at the change of direction, not expecting the fake name to sprout out of Clint’s lips. “What?!” 

“What’s the matter,  **Eddie** ?” And there it was; Clint’s eyes flickered with the smallest bit of mischief when Steve had turned back to face Tony. Somehow, Clint had discovered Tony’s identity crisis before he’d been able to squash the problem out of existence. And being the troll that Clint was, he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to get one over on him. 

Tony was going to strangle him with his bowstring. 

“You little-”

“Uh, not to break this up,” Steve started, placing the stick on the table. “But I’ve gotta meet Sam for some training.”

“Wait,” Tony started, though his tongue tied into a pretty bow when Steve’s eyes rounded into a look of apology.

“I’m sorry, Edward. But maybe we could walk together tomorrow? We can see if some of our classes match up.” There was that boyish charm again, showing that Steve’s interest in him hadn’t waned on his second brush with Tony. 

“Yeah,” Tony breathed out softly, eyes soaking in the hopeful spark brightening Steve’s eyes. 

“Great. We could meet by the message boards? Nine am?” Tony felt stupid with how quickly he nodded. His smile was wide from how much he liked the idea of walking to class with Steve. Maybe he’d even offer to carry Tony’s books, sit next to him in class and exchange stupid notes-

“See ya, Steve.” Clint’s sneaky jab to Tony’s side made him grunt, and he blinked once when realizing that Steve was already gone. And that he still thought Tony’s name was Edward. 

“What the hell was that?” He shoved Clint hard enough to make him stumble, but Barton was able to re-balance himself and plop onto a barstool. 

“I think that was me having a little bit of fun.” The cheeky smirk was far too smug, and Tony rolled his eyes before crossing his arms. 

“How’d you even find out?” 

“Steve told us on the walk to class; I may have just went along with it until Nat told me what had actually happened.” 

“What an opportunist,” Tony answered dryly, keeping his eyebrow high on his forehead. “You do know that it’s going to take me all of three seconds to thwart your plan, right? You can’t keep Steve in the dark on this campus. Everyone talks.” 

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you rigged my arrows with pink glitter last month.” Clint’s huff of indignation should have made Tony feel bad about the prank, but he knew it had been harmless. It was just a part of their friendship; one would pull a trick on the other, and vice versa. And though he was pissed about having the rug pulled out from under him, there was a smidge of respect he refused to vocalize for Clint’s sneak attack. 

“And here I thought you’d like my humble gift. Glitter looks great with any outfit.” And if it took weeks to wash out, that was a purely accidental coincidence that Tony hadn’t snickered over when making the arrows. “So what’s your game plan here, Katniss? Why do you think this is going to be your ultimate plan?”  

“Because everyone knows you’ve got a crush on Cap.” Tony was a master at hiding his embarrassment in the fact of humbling truths, and he made his scoff loud to hide the last shred of modesty he had. “You’ve been talking about him every time you come here as Tony. He’s the only one that I can use to really get under your perfectly bronzed skin. And if you think I’m not gonna ride this chaos train until the end, then you don’t me know at all, Stark.”

“You’re too dumb to keep this up for a day, nevermind long enough to really annoy me. Three days, and I’ll ruin your trick,” Tony sassed back, disliking the mischievous grin peppering Clint’s lips.

“I’ve got friends and a creative mind; you’ll be bartering a new bow to get me to stop.” 

“Bring it on, birdbrain.” 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” And then Barton was hopping off his stool, using two fingers to sarcastically salute Tony before scampering from the club. He was sure that Clint was feeling smug about himself, and who was he to ruin the idiot’s day? For now, he’d let Barton have his fun.

Tomorrow, he’d tell Steve the truth. 

~**~

Except Clint had far more friends than Tony thought someone as annoying as him could have. 

“Okay, you cannot tell me you’ve been ‘cultured’ if nobody’s shown you Star Wars yet.” Tony rolled his eyes when Steve laughed, feeling his heart skip when Steve nudged their shoulders together in their walk. 

“It’s on my list,” Steve promised, and Tony had to force himself to scowl at the response. He’d had an extra pep in his step since meeting his not-so-secret crush outside the message board, Steve offering to carry his books like any prince from a Disney movie would. It didn’t help that his mind was replaying the morning before, remembering that Steve hadn’t taken on the task of carrying Bucky or Clint’s books. 

“It should be number one. You know, besides believing that I’m 100% Tony Stark.” 

“You’re not gonna give that up, huh?” Steve’s question was met with a snort. 

“Trust me, Cap, a Stark doesn’t give up on what they want.” Tony hadn’t meant to lower his voice when answering, and he glanced up to the blue gaze the second he realized how serious he sounded. But from the pretty spread of pink on Steve’s face, he wondered if the flirty reply was more well-received than expected. When they’d slowed their pace, he wasn’t sure, but the full stop of their motions only came after the declaration, their arms still pressed together from their walk. He wasn’t much shorter than Steve, but it was enough that he tilted his head when keeping his stare, and his mind reminded him that he’d probably have to push up onto his toes if he wanted to kiss-

“Hey! Wait up!” The shout from above caught Tony by surprise, his scowl quick to take over his bubbly feeling. He didn’t want to step away from Steve, but he didn’t have a choice when seeing Spiderman nearly crashing into the ground between them. Peter was only kept on his feet when Steve and Tony placed their hands on his shoulders, keeping him from lurching into the ground. The balance that it took for Steve to help his fellow avenger while still carrying both of their books was not lost on Tony, who gave another thanks to Dr. Erskine for the view. 

“What are you in such a rush for?” Steve asked, and Peter shoved his glasses back up his nose to glance between the two of them.

“Ah, right! I was told to give your student I.D badge.” Suddenly, the interruption was no longer a problem, but an opportunity to squash Clint’s scheme before breakfast. 

“Oh, gimme gimme!” Tony scrambled to snatch the laminated card from Peter’s outstretched hand, not thinking twice about looking over the details before thrusting it closer for Steve to see. “Here, official proof that I’m who I say I am.”

“Which would be Edward Carbonell.” Steve peeked over the card with a laugh, his hand gentle on Tony’s wrist. The touch made his spine shiver, but he focused on Steve turning his ID to face him again. 

And there, on the stupid piece of cheap plastic, was ‘Edward Carbonell’. 

“No way.” He felt his mouth roll out of the words, eyes unwavering as he stared in shock. How the hell did Clint infiltrate the student affairs department? Or did he just sneak into the facility and make the fake I.D on his own? When did he find time? Tony’s growl was loud enough to make Peter squeak and jump away, the web-slinger using his skill to pull himself toward the science building. Steve didn’t seem to mind the noise, placing a hand on Tony’s back and pushing him forward in their walk.

“Maybe we should just forget about the name thing until after school?” 

“No way.” To prove his point, Tony shoved the I.D into the trash when they passed it, leaning into the strong palm resting against his spine. “I am not letting Merida win this with some stupid party trick.”

“You are impossible.” But even with the shake of his head, Steve smiled, and the beautiful look was almost enough for Tony to forget. 

~**~

“I’m going to kill him, Janet.” Tony knew his menacing aura was palpable when he slammed his welding hammer into the alloy on his workbench, hoping the violent behavior would settle some of his disbelief. “We’re going to have to look for another sharpshooter in the next few days. Hopefully, one that has a hint of fashion sense.” 

“Purple actually looks really good with Clint’s skin tone.” Jan’s reply made Tony scowl, glaring over to his smiling friend. “And you’re not going to kill him, because then you’d get arrested and Steve would never know the truth.” 

“Knowing Clint, he’s probably already got the newspapers ready to change my name for any upcoming story.” 

“You think he has that pull?” Janet asked, Tony scoffing before slamming the hammer down again.

If he’d been asked three days ago if Clint Barton would become his archnemesis in the foreseeable future, Tony would have laughed. Hawkeye was an amazing sharpshooter who could match Natasha’s martial art skills, but he wasn’t what someone would deem most likely to join a crime syndicate. Clint was just too good of a person in general, feeding stray dogs pizza and helping some of the younger students with their training when he wasn’t busy trolling his peers. And yet now, while Tony sulked in his laboratory and made himself new armor, Clint had been boosted up to the top of his threat list. He was a menace that needed to be stopped. 

The class that Steve and Tony shared was taught by Odin, and Tony had been sure he’d catch a break there. But when the teacher so boastfully called him ‘Edward’, he nearly fell out of his seat. The snickers in the classroom and Steve’s concerned gaze was enough to keep Tony from storming the teacher’s desk to demand answers. But he did after the class was done, only to discover that Clint had  **graciously** informed Odin that Tony preferred to be called by his royal middle name, which the king felt suited him far better anyway. After class, Tony tried to use the internet to prove that he was who he said he was, except any time he looked up his own name, the links wouldn’t load. It was as if someone (like a very smart girl who enjoyed memes and trolling as much as Clint) had hacked into the network to keep Tony from showing Steve the evidence of his words. Any time he was alone, the sites worked fine, but Steve’s appearance would shut down the information as quickly as Tony could pull it up.  

Then there were the random encounters that were far too sporadic to Tony to combat against. When he and Steve managed to snag a shady spot under a tree to have lunch, their not-date was ruined then Ant-man rode over their blanket with a horde of ants, shouting ‘sorry, Eddie!’ as he dove into the anthill by the tree. Steve had arched an eyebrow to Tony, who made sure to shove the peanut butter and jelly (seriously, how American could he get?) sandwich straight into Steve’s mouth to keep him quiet. The next day, Jessica Drew had bumped into him when Steve and Tony had stumbled over goodbyes after a second not-date at Club A. Her grumbled ‘watch where you’re going, Edward’ made Tony stare in shock. He’d gone on a  **date** with her, despite never pursuing it further, and he knew for a fact that she knew his name. But Clint had sunk his claws in tight, Jessica giving a shrug behind Steve’s back before sauntering into Club A. The next morning, a round of training with Steve had managed to get them up close and personal, with Steve managing to pin Tony to the mat with little effort. The flushed face made Steve’s blue eyes brighten when staring down at him, reminding Tony that Steve was just too good inside and out… But before Tony could untangle his tongue and slide in a flirty comment, Thor’s boisterous ‘our great captain had bested Sir Edward. A good battle, indeed!’ rang out, and Tony wished the ground would swallow him whole. 

(In Thor’s defense, Tony was sure his part had little to do with Clint and more so his father, who still refused to call Tony by his first name no matter how much money he offered.) 

Three days of chaos, and Tony was ready to pull his hair out. 

“Can’t you just tell Steve that I’m Tony?” He asked, Janet shaking her head despite the sympathetic glance she gave. 

“I tried; he thinks I’m just being nice because I want to be friends with everyone, which is not true.”  Her legs swung from the table she was sitting on while taking another swig of her cherry slush, and Tony rolled his eyes behind his welding helmet. 

“Is this  **still** about Amora calling your jacket-” 

“We’re not talking about that!” Janet snapped out, giving him a pointed look before continuing. “Why don’t you just call the whole thing off? Just tell Clint you’ll make him a bow so you and Steve can go run off and get married.” 

“Because Clint thinks eating pizza should be an Olympic sport, and I refuse to be beat out by someone like that,” Tony answered, waving his welding torch as he tossed out the statement. He nearly dropped the item when a hand caught his wrist, Tony glancing back at a face that was becoming far too familiar for him to mind.

“Be careful with that; you could hurt yourself.” Steve’s chest against his back made Tony’s spine melt for a moment, but he shook his head once to remind himself exactly who he was. Even if Steve didn’t fully  **accept** the truth yet, Tony refused to let that stop him from finally taking control of their chemistry. 

“Good thing I have you around, huh, Cap?” He didn’t shy away from leaning into the contact between them, even if it made his stomach flutter from butterflies Tony refused to acknowledge. Instead, he focused on the syrupy smile that crossed his lips, hoping that Steve’s own happiness was simply hidden under the concerned scowl. 

“I got the note you duct taped into the front of my history notebook,” Steve said, shaking his head despite the way his thumb mindlessly smoothed down Tony’s pulse. The comfort they felt around each other was seamless, like Tony was meant to stumble into Steve on the campus greens weeks ago. “So, why did you ask me to come here? Tony let you have your own lab space?” 

“And that’s my cue to leave.” Janet’s hop onto the floor covered Tony’s groan, grinning when she gave both men a casual wave. “Good luck figuring… this out. And go talk to Clint!” 

“I’ll eat my own sock first!” Tony shouted back at her, huffing at her laugh hidden when the doors slid shut. Caught up in his own thoughts, Tony didn’t think twice about dropping the back of his head to the shoulder behind him, rolling his eyes up to watch surprise melt to something warmer on Steve’s face. “Hey there.” 

“You ready to let go of this burner thing?” A little squeeze on his wrist reminded Tony he still held the welding tool, but he took his time to hum out his reply.

“I guess I can pause my armor upgrade to hang out with a national icon.” He didn’t want to pull away, but he couldn’t drop the welding gun without damaging it. Holding back a sigh, he pushed away from Steve, waiting until the last moment to move his wrist out of the warm hold. He made sure the heavy tool was settled on the table before turning back to Steve, enjoying how out of place Steve looked in his lab. It was charming, and he held back his smirk when Steve’s hands awkwardly shoved into his jeans and rocked on his heels. His eyes were alive, glancing along each inch of the lab with the calculated stare of a soldier. 

“This place is really neat, Edward.” Tony planned to correct him (again), but any idea of cutting in was put on pause with the next casual statement. “I hope you’re not gonna be too distracted in here to come to the party tomorrow.” 

“Party?” Tony perked up at the mention, fingers twitching to reach out and feel the shoulders Steve shrugged in front of him. 

“Just some get-together Janet and Pepper are hosting for all the new students to get to know everyone else. There’s gonna be music, food, uh… she didn’t bring it up?” 

“Oh, she- I think it was mentioned.” He’d been distracted, of course, but Janet had originally come to his lab to shove the dance invitation down his throat. He hadn’t had time to really think about the demand with Clint running amok in his brain, but somehow, hearing the same topic in Steve’s voice made the topic much more intriguing. “No, I’ll be there. Pretty sure Jan and Pepper would each rip an arm off if I didn’t, and I really need those to function the repulsors of the suit.” 

“You know.” Steve took another glance around the lab, as if waiting for something specific to pop out. “If you really  **were** Tony Stark, showing me the suit would be a good start.” 

“Give me another four days and I can totally do that; until then, Director Fury’s got my suit under his watchful… eye? Is it still one eye in the saying? Seems weird that it’s still singular, despite the whole eyepatch-wannabe-pirate thing he’s got going on.” His musings over the strange saying got a chuckle from Steve, focusing Tony back to the real topic at hand. “I could show you the blueprints for the new armor I’m planning to make. Maybe even a gauntlet, if you promise not to rat me out.” 

“Blueprints can be copied,” Steve replied, and Tony felt his spine straighten at the frightening thought.

“Not mine.” Because Tony couldn’t joke around about the possibility. A moment of silence crept between them at his serious tone, Steve’s face edged in understanding.

“No, I don’t think you’d let anyone take your ideas.” The confidence in Steve’s reply made Tony relax, unclenching the hand he’d dug into the edge of the table behind him. Picking up on Tony’s change, Steve smiled and thankfully changed the subject. “Maybe you’ll have better luck convincing me during a dance tomorrow?” 

“I could save you one, I guess.” He tried to look nonchalant in his step forward, disturbing the space that Tony didn’t feel they really needed anymore. Tony wanted to touch him, a stupid hand hold or an arm around his waist to finally connect the charges of energy bounced between them over the week. But the stupid identity crisis kept him from reaching out, fingers tangled in the ratty shirt he’d tossed on before working on his gauntlet. “Or, we could make it easier and just go together, Cap.” 

“Yeah?” Steve didn’t move away, which Tony took as a good sign. He gave a steady nod, letting a casual grin slip up over lips that he wanted to bite in anxiety. 

“Be easier to prove who I am that way. Plus, having a cute blond on my arm isn’t exactly a hardship on my part.” 

“I should feel charmed, huh?” But the smirk under the eye roll showed Steve didn’t mind the playful comment. 

“Of course, I’ve been told I’m really fun at-”

“Excuse me.” The rickety voice of the elder postman now tapping on Tony’s glass panel made his eye twitch. How the heck did people keep getting up to his lab without clearance? This guy looked lighter than the huge box he was-

“Wait, is that my new alloy base for the suit’s thruster upgrade?” Steve was attractive, but Tony’s attention got dragged away from the chuckling supersoldier when he rushed to the keypad, pressing the quick code to manually (he really needed to make that a retinal scan to save him time and energy) open the lab’s door for the postman. 

“That depends, kiddo. Are you uh…” Glasses looked to be the man’s best friend when he stared down at the tag, Tony’s excitement over the package instantly doused when he continued. “A Mr. Edward Carbonell?”

“Are you- is this a joke right now?” Tony’s jaw could had hit the floor with his horrified shock, though the elderly man didn’t seem to care while tapping the label.

“The box says to have Mr.Carbonell sign for these parts; he ordered them for express delivery. Is he here? Otherwise, I gotta take it back to the shipyard.”   

“Okay that is a low blow, Barton!” Tony’s call out to the non-present troll didn’t get a response, though Steve patted Tony’s shoulder when he slipped past both him and the postman.

“I’ll let you… sort this ‘mistake’ out. Meet me here tomorrow at seven so we can go to the party together. If you still want-” 

“Yes.” Tony was quick to answer when hearing Steve’s hesitation, making sure to nod twice just to confirm. “Yes, that is 100% what I want.” 

“Okay, great. See you then, Edward.” He gave a quirky smile that Tony hated to admit he liked, and he grumbled a ‘fine’ through a forced scowl that gained full traction after Steve left the lab. He turned his attention back to the elderly man, though all traces of wrinkles and grey hair had been lost. In the man’s place stood Loki, who looked far too smug when rattling the box in front of him.

“Barton sends his regards.” There was a coil of sadistic glee in Loki’s grin before he disappeared from Tony’s lab in a poof of green smoke. The inhalation of the magic made Tony choke on a cough, eyes burning while hands tried to disperse the lingering residue from the air. It took a few seconds to gain control of his lungs again, far too late to save the box that had tumbled haphazardly onto the ground. Tony stared down at the dented cardboard for a moment before following its descent, dropping his butt onto the ground and pushing his palms over his eyes.

“I hate this school,” he muttered, though he knew it was a lie as soon as it slipped out.

Because he had gotten a date with Captain America, and Edward and Tony were both more than okay with that.

~**~  
The party, as expected of any celebration set up by Pepper and Janet, was amazing. The decorations showed that Jan used her suit to its full potential, streamers hanging from the ceiling and twirling in perfect spirals to the walls. The music bounced off the walls with electricity, and despite the old school tunes (as Starlord refused to accept there were other generations of music after the 70s), it was hard to keep still. Teachers were chaperones, because Fury wasn’t going to let a group of teenage superheroes run amok at his school. But honestly, from how focused Odin was at re-wooing Frigga with ‘tales of his valiant youth’, it was obvious the heroes were on their own. 

And despite the tension he’d learned to carry from not getting Steve to realize who he really was, Tony was having fun. Thor was a riot on the dancefloor, and shoving the frazzled Winter Soldier between his squeaky clean counterpart and Peggy was well worth the bruised arm he got from the punch afterward. Clint, ignoring Tony’s glare each time he took the dancefloor, brought out the limbo stick, and Tigra wiped out the competition with ease. The punch table was monitored by Bruce, who was too nervous to go near the dancefloor, so Tony kept him company when he wasn’t distracted by his date.

Because despite thinking Steve would be far too stiff or nervous to use the dancefloor, Steve took over like the Captain he was. Tony wanted to feel some sort of jealousy or irritation with how many people his date swung or spun in his intricate movements, leaving each dance partner swooning by the end of the exchange. It wasn’t that Tony was born with two left feet; he had been known to own a room with a few casual sways of his hips. And when Janet snagged his hand to drag him out for ‘Hooked on a Feeling’, he didn’t resist bopping to the ridiculous song. But for most of the night, he stayed out of Steve’s way, being pulled into his aura without having to move a foot. Steve was just fun to watch, eyes full of energy and joy whenever they flickered to Tony. And their eyes met, a  **lot;** their playful eyebrow arches and head shakes enough communication to show the other how in-tune they were to their date, even when separated by a dance floor. 

‘Fooled around and Fell in Love’ popped over the speakers, and Tony’s enthusiastic conversation with Bruce on black hole ray guns was cut off by a soft hand on his back. 

“Excuse me, Bruce; do you mind if I steal my date for a dance?” Steve didn’t look too apologetic about the interruption, barely waiting for Bruce’s nod before leading Tony onto the dancefloor. Charmed by the forward move, Tony ignored the slight sweat on the back of Steve’s neck when he slid his hands around it, grinning at how slow Steve took placing his own palms on Tony’s hips. 

“You saving the best for last?” Tony teased, enjoying how the corny song in the background was slow enough for them to sway together without real concentration. 

“I feel like I shouldn’t answer that with the truth; don’t need to feed that ego of yours.” It was a joke, slow and sweet as the tune they moved to, and Tony leaned closer to better settle his arms over broad shoulders. 

“Thought Cap always told the truth? The American way, and all.” 

“I think I’m hanging up the shield tonight.” 

“Good; I think I like the guy under the mask more, anyway.” It rolled out of his mouth without hesitation, which was surprising. Maybe it was the lack of belief from the other’s part in his identity. 

“The feeling’s mutual, you know. You’re pretty neat yourself.” A gentle squeeze on his hip and the look of honest affection running over Steve’s face was bittersweet. While he was over the moon at the prospect of Steve liking him, the circumstances sucked. Because it wasn’t Tony he liked; it was Edward. And how ironic was that? The whole reason for hiding his identity was that he hadn’t wanted Steve to have any thoughts about him. Now, he just wanted Steve to believe in him, and it drove him up the wall that even in this genuine moment of honesty, Steve thought it was Edward’s feelings. And for a panicked second, he wondered if that mattered. 

“If I was Tony Stark,” he started, trying to mask the anxiety with a casual smile that he wasn’t sure he fully hid. It was probably easy to see through his disguise with how quickly his fingers tapped on the back of Steve’s neck. “And I proved to you that I was, without having to give up my first born or donate my brain for DNA replication which actually isn’t the best way to identify me-”

“Tony-”

“What would you do? Or, I guess more importantly, how would it affect… this?” 

“Depends on the ‘this’ you’re talking about.” Steve looked far less worried about the conversation, continuing to sway Tony with slight pressure from his palms. Surprised that his thoughts distracted him enough to forget their slow dance, Tony focused on their moment, trying to read Steve’s face for any hint of hesitation. 

"Us." But the captain stayed eased in his smile, Tony’s impossible blush (because maybe Edward blushed, but Tony Stark did  **not** ) ignored when feeling a forehead pressed to his own. 

“Feelings aren’t affected by last names; I like the fella you are, plain and simple. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be dancing with you right now.” 

“Are you sure?” He had to ask, despite knowing Steve wasn’t the type to say things without meaning it. The final chords of the song drifted between them when Steve studied Tony’s face, the blue eyes looking so much bigger from their close proximity. 

“Want me to show you?” Determination on Steve was a good look for him, and when he glanced down to Tony’s lips after the question, it was obvious how he intended to prove his point. Tony didn’t pull away, fingertips pressing into the back of Steve’s neck to pull his mouth closer. 

“Alright, everybody!” But Peter Quill’s voice wedged between them in a flash, the annoying peer not caring about the perfect moment he ruined. “Time to speed things up a bit. This song’s dedicated to my main man, Eddie. You rock, dude!” 

“No.” Tony’s groan was loud, pulling back from a disappointed Steve in order to shake it and glance around the room. “Nope, this is ending now.”

“It’s okay, ignore it and come here.” Steve tried to pull Tony back to him, but he quickly squirmed out of the hold, eyes scanning the crowd for the annoying sharpshooter.  

“I am not getting my first kiss from you as Edward. It’s not happening.” Then he spotted his target, Tony leaning to the right and grabbing Clint’s ear to yank him away from Nat and Thor. 

“Ow!” Clint’s cry of pain meant nothing to Tony, who rolled his eyes and pulled harder on the appendage. 

“Stop your canary cry; I’m giving you your bow.” Tony’s words was quick to stop the complaints, Clint’s posture perking up when he heard the answer. 

“And two new types of arrows.” The greedy response ruffled Tony’s feathers, but once glance to Steve’s mouth made any protest die away. 

“Fine. End this.” 

“You heard the man, Cap. Prank’s over.” Clint’s grin was too obnoxious to look at when he scampered away, and Tony jerked around to see the sheepish smile covering Steve’s attractive face. Tony blinked once, then twice more for good measure, before his brain fully caught up to the new information. 

“You knew?” 

“Not at first,” Steve defended, despite the lack of guilt in his shoulder shrug. His hands were already grabbing to Tony again, pulling him back into his space while he continued. “I thought you’d catch on when I called your name earlier.” 

“You did?” He was trying to pinpoint the moment Steve was talking about, but his mind was distracted by a singular question. “When did you know?”

“Your face looked familiar, and when we passed by the message board during our tour, I saw a poster with your name and face on it. Then you started talking about the beach’s weight or self-cleaning mode like you were the one who invented it. Didn’t take me too long to figure out who you were after that.”

“Why didn’t you say something, then?” He wanted to be mad, but it was hard to keep a frown when realizing Steve’s previous conversation wasn’t just for show. He really did like Tony, Stark name and all. Plus, Steve’s arms wrapping around his waist was far too nice to be mad about. 

“Thought you wanted to keep your identity hidden until you fully joined our school. I was gonna wait for you to tell me who you were. But then Clint asked me to help give you a unique welcome and it meant we’d get to spend more time together, so…” Tony wasn’t letting himself get fooled by the all-American smile, even if his heart melted at the sight. “Here we are.” 

“You are a menace, Steve Rogers.” Tony’s grumble was weaker than he intended, head tilted up when leaning into the chest in front of him. “I am so going to be mad at you after you give me that kiss I was promised earlier.” 

“That’s not an incentive to do it, Tony.” Really, hearing Steve call his name shouldn’t have made his toes curl in his shoes, and he blamed it on kiss that was pressed to his mouth. He kissed back without a second thought, pushing up on his toes to fully even their battlefield. And if Steve’s plan to keep him from being mad was to kiss him for the rest of the night, then who was Tony to complain? He could find other ways to process.

Clint’s bow and arrows was going to be a  **fun** way for Tony to ‘cope’ with his anger. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a thing for Clint being a troll; I feel any story with Clint being a mess of a human and dragging everyone down with him is worth its weight in gold. Such an underappreciated character. So, hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments are always welcome. Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
